An airline pilot flying a passenger plane over central London has revealed how his view was partially blocked by a large drone which almost caused a collision.
The “triangular” shaped drone hovered into the path of an Airbus A320 just after 6pm on May 19, as the plane flew in clear skies at 9,200ft - far beyond the 400ft UK limit for flying drones.
A report by the UK Airprox Board (UKAB) found that "providence had played a major part" in avoiding what was "a definite risk of collision", the BBC reports.
Recounting the terrifying near miss, the pilot told investigators that the drone "went over us, probably within about 10 metres".
The plane was flying at a speed of 287mph (462km/h) shortly after departing Heathrow when crew spotted a "bright white object pass overhead from the opposite direction"
The report stated: "The object appeared to be approximately 2-3m in size at the very least, it may have been larger as it filled a good proportion of the windshield.
"The first officer observed that it was triangular in shape.
"The Captain only saw the object for a second or two in peripheral vision so could not reliably comment on the shape. No markings were identified.”
Air traffic controllers were immediately informed about the incident, although the drone operator was not identified.
It is unknown how many passengers were on board the Airbus A320, but the aircraft has capacity for up to 180 passengers. UKAB did not state which airline was involved in the incident.
The aviation industry has longstanding concerns over members of the public flouting drone restrictions, with a major incident at Gatwick Airport in December 2018.
In what police later termed a "deliberate act" of sabotage, a drone was repeatedly flown near the airport and led to Christmas flights being cancelled or delayed for hundreds of passengers.
